Trump's campaign teeters as House speaker won't 'defend' him

Several members pushed back on Ryan, angry with him and arguing that House Republicans should be supporting Trump and working to get a Republican in the White House. Ryan has been a frequent critic of Trump, who has never previously run for office.

The comments came in a conference call Monday.

"And then he moved on to the real choice in this election, which is really not just a choice between two candidates - it's a choice between two futures", said Pence, who had said over the weekend he himself was "offended" by Trump's remarks.

New of the call was first reported by the New York Times. Within a matter of minutes, more than 6,300 people had favorited the tweet.

Paul Ryan will not rescind his endorsement of Donald Trump.

In a bitter televised debate, a month before the United States presidential election, Mr Trump denied he had groped anyone. But pro-Trump GOP House members got that impression, pushing back and saying Trump can still prevail and should not be abandoned.

Ryan canceled a Trump campaign appearance in Wisconsin on Saturday in what would have been their first joint appearance. Kelly Ayotte. In the House, Rep. Jason Chaffetz said Trump should step aside.

In addition to facing pressure to unendorse Trump-pressure which Ryan seems determined to overcome-the speaker also is facing a backlash from conservatives who feel he isn't doing enough to adequately express his support for Trump.

Ron Johnson stood by Donald Trump's presidential campaign on Monday, even as House Speaker Paul Ryan told nervous Republicans in Congress that he will not defend Trump or campaign with him before the election, and Wisconsin's governor remained silent.

Ryan, speaker of the House of Representatives, also signaled he was preparing for Democrat Hillary Clinton to win the White House in the November 8 presidential and congressional election. The person wasn't authorized to be quoted by name and demanded anonymity.

Republican members of Congress are anxious that Trump's campaign could ruin their chances of holding their majorities in the House and Senate in November and inflict long-term damage on the party.

Ryan stopped short of yanking his endorsement of Trump, but told members he would not defend the presidential nominee or campaign with him for the remainder of the election.

The speaker told his GOP congressional colleagues that he is "only campaigning for House seats and promoting our agenda", according to the sources. The vast majority of House Republicans represent safe GOP districts and therefore have little political incentive to distance themselves from Trump.